Arrest warrant for Chief Keef in child support case

Kim GeigerTribune reporter

A warrant for the arrest of Chief Keef was issued Monday by a Cook County judge after the rapper failed to appear in court on a child support case.

Judge Maureen P. Feerick issued the warrant for the South Side rapper, legally named Keith Cozart, after he did not show up for a hearing on alleged back child support he owed the mother of his 17-month-old daughter.

The state’s attorney’s office filed a petition last month alleging that Cozart owed more than $10,000 in back child support.

In a telephone interview, the child’s mother, Erica Early, 30, said Cozart had made a few payments earlier this year but never fully caught up on his obligations. She said Cozart has not seen his daughter in at least a few months.

“I guess since he’s living the lifestyle that he’s living, that you know, right now he probably don’t care about it too much,” Early said.

The case is one of two pending child support cases against the rapper in Cook County.

Run-ins with the law have been a regular occurrence for Cozart, 18, since 2012 when he signed his first record deal. He was little known beyond his fans on the South Side and in Chicago Public Schools, according to media profiles, until his arrest for pointing a gun at a Chicago police officer, rocketing him to viral video fame.

He has since been busted for drug possession in Florida, disorderly conduct in Georgia, cited for driving more than 100 mph on the Edens Expressway and charged with DUI in Highland Park. He was evicted from his rented Highland Park mansion last month after falling about $30,000 behind in rent payments, court records show.

His presence in the suburb had caused a furor among some neighbors, who had complained about noise, traffic, cars parked on the lawn and additional problems.

Early and the state’s attorney’s office allege that Cozart has not complied with a March order that required him to pay $1,650 per month in child support plus $5,000 in back payments.

The order also required him to secure health insurance for the child, a condition he met, Early said.